Unhealthy Pregnancy Weight Gain Tips the Scales for Mothers Seven Years Later

Excessive Weight Gain Is Associated with Greater Body Fat and Weight at Seven Years Postpartum Among Mothers Who Begin Pregnancy at Normal or Slight Overweight

Unhealthy weight gain in pregnancy has been linked with postpartum weight retention but until now its long-term effects had been understudied in low-income and minority populations who are at high risk for obesity. For the first time, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health studied the association between gestational weight gain and long-term weight retention and body fat among a multi-ethnic urban population. The results show that mothers with excessive weight gain during pregnancy weighed more and had greater body fat seven years after delivery if they began pregnancy at normal weight or slightly overweight. The findings suggest that excessive gestational weight gain has long-term consequences for women who are of normal weight or a little overweight before pregnancy. The study is published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Read more: http://ow.ly/TRqCr